The Internet is a global system of computers that are linked together so that the various computers can communicate seamlessly with one another. Internet users access server computers to download and display informational or hypertext pages typically through an Internet browser. Once a server has been connected to the Internet, informational or hypertext pages can be displayed to virtually anyone having access to the Internet. Alternatively, an Intranet is a private computer network that uses the protocols of the Internet but host informational or hypertext pages that can only be seen by a select number of network connected computers using an Intranet browser and hence a limited number of users.
Currently, documents available on the Internet are usually represented in the format of “hypertext.” Each hypertext “page” can be arbitrarily long, and may or may not fit within one computer monitor screen. Pages of hypertext maybe linked to each other by “hyperlinks” on each page of a hypertext, and there might be one or more “links” in the form of static or animated pictures, video, words or embedded documents which, when selected and clicked on (with, say, an input device such as a computer mouse) will cause the hypertext document to which the hyperlink is linked to appear on the computer monitor screen. In other words, the text of the new page replaces the earlier hypertext page.
Domain name entry, Uniform Resource Locator (URL) and Internet or Intranet page content filtering systems interfaced with Internet or Intranet browsers are used to provide security and reduce threats such as prohibited domain names or URLs, undesirable emails, pop-ups, downloads and prohibited Internet or Intranet page content that may be categorised by the amount and type of language, nudity, sex or violence contained within a page. Other event monitoring systems that also detect undesirable or prohibited activities such as virus scanning software may be installed on a computer to provide additional security and reduce threats such as computer viruses, malware, spam, and phishing.
Typically content filtering systems or other ‘watch dog’ monitoring systems such as virus scanning software installed on a computer are event based, so when their predefined criteria or rules for detecting a potential security threat or breach are met, they are triggered to perform a series of procedures so as to protect a computer, network or user. For example, if a prohibited domain name, URL or prohibited Internet or Intranet page content is searched, selected or requested using a browser or hyperlink, then typically a filtering system would trigger a procedure that stops the request from linking to the prohibited domain name, URL or prohibited Internet or Intranet page content and hence stop the Internet or Intranet browser from displaying the prohibited domain name, URL or Internet or Intranet page content and instead display an Internet or Intranet page with a static default standard hypertext security message within the browser for the user to view and read detailing that a potential threat had been detected and thwarted, for example a security message may say “Access Denied”. This standard security notification message typically remains displayed until the user decides to visit another domain name, URL, hyperlink to another Internet or Intranet page or close the browser. Once all triggered procedures are completed and the computer or network is no longer under security threat or breach, these filtering systems or other event monitoring systems such as virus scanning software continue to operate in the background of a computer and or network waiting to detect the next security threat or breach. (The term “and or” herein means “and/or”).
While the current function of Internet or Intranet browser filtering systems or other event monitoring systems such as virus scanning software affords users protection from threats, their static standard security notification message displayed on a hypertext page through a browser typically only detail in a few words that security has been breached and little else, which under-utilises the opportunity and potential to provide and communicate value-adding information back to the user at a point in time when they have deliberately or inadvertently caused an Internet or Intranet browser security threat or breach. The default standard hypertext security message provides basic and minimal information, and hence minimal usefulness and experience for the user. Further, conventional filtering systems or other event monitoring systems such as virus scanning software do not provide a function to enable authorised authors to edit in a live environment the typical default standard hypertext security message to communicate more effective and targeted value-adding information to the browser user that may be classified as useful, entertaining, educational, interesting or instructional at a unique point in time. Typically, once a filtering system or other event monitoring system such as virus scanning software displays its default standard hypertext security message within a browser or user interface it has completed its procedure and provides no further use or value to a user.
It is an object of this invention to overcome or substantially ameliorate the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a system and method that interfaces with a domain name, URL, Internet or Intranet page content filtering system and or other event monitoring systems such as virus scanning software which requires secure login by authorised authors at all times and enables users to edit and publish a hypertext security message/s in a live environment to communicate more effective, targeted and measurable information that may be classified as useful, entertaining, educational, interesting or instructional to a user through a browser or user interface at a point in time when they have deliberately or inadvertently caused a Internet or Intranet browser security threat or breach or when their computer's virus scanning software has detected a security threat to provide them an improved viewing and reading experience.